Gut on a chip takes home Healthcare Research Award of the year

Research is steadily painting a picture revealing the significance the human gut microbiome plays in health and disease. From gastrointestinal tract disorders to the beginnings and treatment of Parkinson’s disease and beyond, the gut microbiome is a treasure trove of clues for researchers. We speak to three women in science – a biomedical scientist, a microbiologist and a bioscience engineer – about organs-on-chips and restoring an imbalanced microbiome.

The number of genes possessed by the trillions of microbes in a human body outnumbers the host’s genes at least 150 times, justifying the comparison of the microbiome to a second genome – or even an overlooked organ. Global microbiome research over the past 15 years has therefore focused on answering a single question: are our microbiota affected by our health status, or are they are actively involved it?

Researchers from the University of Luxembourg have discovered a combination of dietary factors and gut bacteria that inhibits the progression of colorectal cancer. The findings, published in the open-access journal Cell Reports, could help exploit dietary regimens for therapeutic purposes to improve chemotherapy efficacy and reduce toxicity.

Paul Wilmes’ original background is in Environmental Sciences, but with his FNR ATTRACT Fellowship and move from the United States to Luxembourg in 2010, the Luxembourg national branched out into biomedicine. We spoke to the prolific scientist about his ‘gut-on-a-chip’ model, the importance of carving out research niches, his goals and recent parental leave period.

By the time Parkinson’s disease manifests in symptoms such as tremors, parts of the brain have already been damaged beyond repair. In a quest to shed light on the early stages of the disease, a team of researchers led by FNR ATTRACT Fellow Prof Paul Wilmes, has discovered that the gut of Parkinson’s patients differs from that of healthy people – even at early stages of the disease.

Kacy Greenhalgh has always had an affectation for medicine and health, and how health can be influenced by dietary habits. During her Master studies, the Luxembourg-American national was introduced to FNR ATTRACT Fellow Paul Wilmes and the ‘gut on a chip’, HuMiX. Fascinated by its potential, and how it could be used to study the relation between diet and health, Kacy’s curiosity led her straight to an AFR PhD at the LCSB at the University of Luxembourg.

Researchers at the University of Luxembourg have developed a model of the human intestines which simplifies the examination of intestinal bacteria and removes the need for animal experiments.

When he began his career as a scientist, Paul Wilmes never imagined that his home country would one day become the base for successful research. It was the beginning of the millennium and Luxembourg was still an unknown spot on the global scientific map.